To Save a Friend
by Sweeterthansugar
Summary: Everyone is wondering why Groot isn't getting any bigger and they search for a solution, but to help Groot, Rocket has to put a creature in a cage. It brings back things he wants to forget, so how will he handle it when he is forced to face his past memories?
1. A New Face

**Chapter 1 A New Face**

**Okay so this was an idea I had come up with and I hope you guys like it! I haven't read the comics so I am going solely by the movie and a good portion of this is from my imagination(so if you don't like those kinds of stories, turn back now). Enjoy! **

* * *

"I'm worried about Groot." They were four little words, but incredibly hard for Rocket to admit. He rarely talked about his feelings, except when he was angry. So for him to admit he was worried, even about his best friend, was a surprise.

Star-Lord turned in his chair and looked at his small friend. The raccoon's ears were drooped and his tail laid limp. His hands fidgeted nervously. Quill leaned his arms on his knees and gazed down at him sympathetically. He knew Rocket must be really worried to bring this up to him out of no where. "Why? Is he okay?"

"Well, yeah. I guess. I don't know." The raccoon looked down helplessly. "It's been five months now and he's hardly grown. He's grown a bit, but he's still small enough that he needs to stay in his pot. He's told me he misses being big and tall. He only said it once and I think he hasn't said it again because he doesn't want me to worry. So I was just thinking...after we had to get patched up after our fight with Ronan, those Nova Core idiots had to scan us and check us and crap. Maybe they could check on Groot and see what's going on?" Peter heard the hopeful and slightly pleading note in Rocket's voice and it tugged at his heartstrings.

The man spun in his chair back to the console he was at. "You idiot." Quill tapped a few buttons and soon the ship chimed for everyone to prepare for warp drive. He spun back around to smile at Rocket. "You don't have to act like you're swallowing your pride or like I'll say no. We all care about Groot, but you know more about him than us so we have to follow your lead on this. If you think it's best we have someone look at him, well, then that's what we'll do. It's what a family does. They look out for each other." Then the ship bucked, making Rocket stagger a step, and was in warp space, sailing along.

Rocket looked at the smiling man in surprise and mumbled something that sounded like thanks, but Drax and Gamora came into the room before Peter could tease him or confirm that's what he said.

Drax talked to them first. "Quill. Why have we changed our coordinates?"

"We're going to Xandar to check on Groot since he hasn't made much progress regrowing."

Gamora crossed her arms in annoyance. "And you made this sudden decision all on your own? Without asking everyone? We all know how impulsive you are, but even you aren't that bad."

Rocket looked at Quill nervously. He knew the man would admit it wasn't originally his idea and then they'd all tease Rocket for not being such a tough guy like he always acted. It was for Groot so he didn't regret asking Quill, but he hated being mocked and wasn't in the mood for it. He looked down, not wanting to see anyone's face when Peter said it. "That's right. I was thinking about it and we're between jobs anyway." Rocket looked up, stunned. Peter was covering for him? Why? Usually he'd be the first to tease him. "Look, Groot hasn't been growing back as fast as I figured he would and when I asked Rocket he said he thought the same thing. I set the course and then was gonna talk to you guys, but we all love Groot and want the little guy to be healthy right? If we all don't care about Groot, then I'll cancel our trip to Xandar."

Gamora narrowed her eyes at him. "Groot saved our lives, Peter. We all want him back to full health. You are our leader, but that doesn't mean you can make decisions without consulting us. It would be appreciated if you at least let us know first next time."

"That's true. I'm sorry, Gamora." Peter met the assassin's gaze steadily, making puppy dog eyes, and she nodded before turning and leaving the room. It was always amazing how Quill could manage to work his way out of practically any sticky situation he got himself into.

Drax watched her go and turned his level gaze to the man in the chair. "I agree with Gamora, but I want the wooden one to be alright as well." Then without another word, the giant walked out of the room.

Rocket watched the door close before looking at Quill, his face wearing a confused expression. "Why'd you say it was your idea and cover for me?"

He just shrugged. "You're usually pretty closed off about your feelings, so I figured I'd let you keep them to yourself. You're upset about Groot so this didn't seem like the right time for everyone to be busting on you. I'm not a complete dick after all." Star-Lord spun back to his console. "Once we exit warp space, we should get to Xandar in a day or so. Just sit tight till then."

"Thank you..." This time, the words were easy to hear. The grateful words threw Peter off because he wasn't expecting them and wasn't sure if they were for heading to Xandar for Groot or for not broadcasting Rocket's feelings to the whole Milano, but when he turned to ask Rocket, he found he was the only one in the room.

* * *

A couple days later the Milano landed on Xandar and the Guardians of the Galaxy filed off of the ship. Peter lead the way with Gamora close behind. Rocket trailed a bit to make sure he carefully made his way down the ramp of the ship. He didn't want to drop or damage the fragile pot in his hands. Groot smiled cheerily, clearly enjoying the sun and being outside with his friends. Lastly, Drax followed out of the ship, his trusty knives strapped to his boots, the very tops of the blades caught flickers of sunlight and shone on the waiting Nova Corps members. The soldiers didn't even flinch as the sun flickered across their faces. Rhomann Dey stepped forward and nodded at the Guardians. "What can we do for you today, Guardians?" Rhomann, like all the Xandarians, were grateful to the Guardians for helping stop Ronan, but he was still hesitant to freely trust these ex-criminals it always seemed.

Peter smiled at him in a way that was far too friendly based on how Rhomann was regarding them. Rhomann suspected Quill just acted this happy and energetic with him just to bother him. "Well, our little friend here needs a check-up..." He gestured to where Groot smiled from his pot and waved to the Nova Corps members. A couple looked at him in surprise and one even hesitantly waved back, which just made Groot sway happily in his pot.

Rhomann nodded toward the building. "This way..."

It took a few hours, but finally the Xandarians had run all the tests they could. When they had begun, a smiling nurse brought them to a room to wait and gently took Groot from Rocket. He had seemed to barely mask how terrified he was to let the fragile Groot out of his sight, but as she walked away with him, Groot looked at Rocket over her shoulder and waved to his friend, calling out cheerily. "I am Groot!"

Rocket saw the Guardians' confused faces and mumbled. "He says he'll see us soon..."

Before she left, the nurse had asked them to be patient, but hours later and the Guardians were now getting anxious. Rocket was sitting on a couch, staring at the floor in worry. Drax had sat beside him and was gently petting his head. The smaller male didn't protest whatsoever, showing how clearly upset he was to the rest of the group. Gamora stood by the window, gazing out at the city that months ago had been turned to rubble. It was now nearly finished being rebuilt and was as amazing as it once was. Peter had been anxiously pacing and fidgeting the whole time, but everyone was nervous so besides for Gamora snapping at him once to sit still no one had commented on his fidgeting.

After what seemed to be forever, a man in the Nova Corps blue uniform walked into the room. They all looked up at his appearance and Rocket's tail swished across the couch hopefully. "If you'll all follow me. Nova Prime would like to talk to you about her findings."

Gamora tilted her head. "Nova Prime herself oversaw the tests for Groot?"

The man nodded. "Naturally. You all are our saviors and we must do all in our power to help you in show of our gratitude and thanks. Before she ascended to the rank of Nova Prime, Irani Rael studied medicine and knew quite a deal of it. She is well versed and capable. Your friend is in good hands. Now, if you will follow me." The man headed off and the Guardians quickly headed after him.

They walked down few halls before coming to a door. It slid open with a hiss and Rocket's eyes immediately settled on the small pot on the table that took up most of the room. "Groot!" He ran over and grabbed the table in his front paws. Rocket raised himself up so he stood on his toes to look at Groot. "How are you?"

"I am Groot!" His friend smiled at him, happy as always.

"I'm glad you're okay..." Rocket's ears twitched in relief.

The people watched the heartfelt reunion for a moment before Drax broke the silence. "Did your tests find any answers?" Blunt as always.

Nova Prime regarded him silently. The few times the Guardians had visited since the Ronan incident, she had seemed most taken aback by Drax's constant state of half-nakedness and Rocket's vulgar language. Nonetheless, she answered Drax in a brisk and serious tone. "Yes, I do believe we have." She tapped a large screen on one wall and pictures began to appear. The first being of Groot in his small form and beside it was how he looked before he had sacrificed himself for them. Nova Prime cleared her throat and began to speak. "Due to Groot's anatomy being closer to vegetation than most living, sentient beings, it took us a while to develop a hypothesis and deduce the true cause of Groot's delayed growth." At this, the pictures of Groot shifted to show internal images of him. "The easiest way to explain it is that Groot's sap, in essence his blood, is too thick for his small body to process. It moves well enough that he is alive and quite healthy, I assure you, but it moves too slow for him to grow."

"I don't understand." Gamora studied the pictures intently. "You're saying he's healthy, yet his body isn't processing its own sap the right way? Why hasn't this happened before?"

The woman nodded. "My guess is this hasn't been a problem before because Groot was left drastically weak after your battle with Ronan. It seems in this weakened state when his body started to develop, it could only go so far, leaving him in this smaller state. He needs some help for the sap to start circulating properly again, thus allowing for his body to begin to grow further and become what it once was. We do have an idea as to how to help him do this. As I'm sure you're aware, Groot's species is Flora Colossus from Planet X, which we don't know A great deal about. The main two species of Planet X are Flora Colossus and Lera."

Peter's brow furrowed. "What the hell is a Lera?"

"A Lera, Mr. Quill, is this creature here." She tapped the screen and up came a creature that looked fairly humanoid. On its head were furry ears, like Rocket's, among a mass of hair and its eyes had pupils in slits, like a cat. A long, thin tail extended from behind it, covered in short fur. Its feet and hands were rather large considering the fairly skinny limbs, and had claws as well as a wicked looking claw that grew out of the back of each foot. The feet only had three digits, excluding the back claw, but the hands had the usual four fingers and thumb. The face seemed pretty human if you didn't count the vampire-looking fangs and the cat pupils. There were markings on its face that looked like paint and it wore simple clothes. The skin was a gray and the ears and hair were only slightly darker matching shades. "This would be a Lera. They are simple creatures that live in clans, hence the facial markings and plain clothes. Their tail they use to grab things and their claws are designed for climbing. Many consider them quite elegant and beautiful so some keep them for pets in homes or zoos, while others may keep them as slaves, sadly. You see, some clans are more simplistic, while others are more intelligent. Most are quite simple and the clans that would be our level of intelligence are far and few between. Now then. This is a picture of a male Lera. This is a female." She tapped the screen and beside it appeared a female. The only instantly noticeable differences were the female seemed fairly smaller and more slender and had breasts. "The females are usually more agile due to their smaller frame and are more difficult to capture, but captured they are because the females are usually more desired than the males."

"What does this Lera creature have to do with our companion's health?" Drax glanced at Groot to see if he was following any of this, but the tree was currently trying the copy the pose of the Groot on the screen.

"Your team is rather impatient, isn't it, Mr. Quill?" Nova Prime raised an eyebrow at the man who just shrugged helplessly. "The Lera and Flora Colossus have a symbiotic relationship. Either species can live without the other, but they only thrive when working and living together. You see, when Groot was at what you call his 'normal size' his body could process the sap at a steady rate so that he had a regenerative-like ability, but it was still sluggish enough to keep his growth at a standstill."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold the phone." Peter pointed at the larger diagram of Groot as he spoke. "Groot was over six feet tall, at least! You're saying he could have gotten bigger?"

"Certainly. With a Lera feeding on the excess sap, it would have circulated quicker, allowing him to grow. From what data we have, it shows that Flora Colossus have personal preferences, as in they will limit how much the Lera can feed so that they can maintain a certain size. One of the doctors compared it to how people prefer their hair a certain length so you may find that easier to understand."

Peter grumbled. "Why's she look at me when she says that?" His comment earned an irritated elbow jab from Gamora to his ribs.

"So let me get this straight." Nova Prime sighed and looked down at Rocket's irritated face. "Usually Groot's species has these Lera things feed on their sap so they can grow to whatever the hell height they want and since Groot ain't got one he can't freaking grow?"

"Exactly. That's why he's healthy, even if he is not growing. Usually young Flora Colossus, need a Lera to help start their growth, jump starting it in a way." She looked at Groot. "Little one, would you like us to track down a suitable Lera so that you may grow to your original height?"

Groot wiggled his arms and chirped. "I am Groot!" His voice was an adorable squeak, but the enthusiasm was still there.

"Very well. Then I..."

"You said a 'suitable Lera.' What does this mean?" Drax looked at the woman as he puzzled over her statement.

She sighed. The Guardians were the saviors of Xandar and possibly the whole galaxy, but they could be as annoying and persistent as children at times. It was hard to forget they were all once criminals who did whatever they pleased. "I told you they live in clans, correct? Well, some clans are more intelligent or are more insistent on sap than others. I explained the intelligence and as for the sap desires, well, some Lera will drain too much sap and hurt the Flora Colossus or limit its growth, but, as I said, most clans have a child-like level of intelligence, so this is rare to find in the intelligent clans, however. Based on your needs, I'd like to find you the closest and most intelligent Lera possible."

"Thank you." Gamora offered the woman one of her rare smiles.

Nova Prime gave her a tired smile in return. "Of course. As soon as one is found we'll let you know."

"Wait. Why don't we just fly to this Planet X and go grab one from there?" Peter glanced at the two diagrams then at the older woman who was whispering to a soldier nearby. He nodded and hurried from the room.

"Because they are not as populated as they once were. Sadly, I dare say they are an endangered species. Due to the Flora Colossus's regenerative abilities, their species is still numerous, but the Lera are dying out. I'd rather not have you take one from the planet. Here." She tapped the display for a moment and the visuals disappeared. On the left side appeared a video. There wer the Flora Colossus species everywhere, some Rocket's size and some the size Groot used to be, but most were taller. Most seemed to range from doubled Groot's height to the height of a house. Then one walked by that completely towered over those. Its footsteps seemed to shake the ground. The Guardians watched in fascination and as they watched closer, they could see the Lera. They clung to the Flora Colossus with their claws and made small cuts to eat the sap. Some just ran freely on the purple grass.

"Your planet is very beautiful, Groot..." Gamora watched two children running among the legs of some of the taller ones, not looking afraid of being stepped on in the slightest.

"It also looks very peaceful." Drax seemed right. There wasn't any fighting or violence in the video.

"This is what's become of it." Nova Prime tapped the screen to create a video on the right side to appear. It showed a similar image, but the Flora Colosuss didn't tower or grow nearly as tall and the Lera were far fewer. It seemed like a bit of life had gone out of the planet because they weren't playing anddidn't seem as happy as before.

Peter swallowed at the sad sight and nodded. "Okay. We won't take any from the planet."

The door hissed open and the soldier returned. "We have found one, Nova Prime!" He handed her an electronic board that she instantly began to read. "There is one that suits all your needs, a female three quadrants over that's being sold in two days."

"Sold?" Rocket's voice seemed hesitant on the word.

The man nodded. "Due to the advertisement for her in the auction house, she had been used in some testing and experimenting, but nothing that affects her overall quality. Or so the person who put her on sale put in her information." The man seemed to fidget at the fierce looks he was getting and hurried on. "Apparently, she's become too exhausted and skittish for experiments and testing so she is being sold."

Nova Prime showed them the board and on it was a picture of the Lera in question. She had beige skin and wild hair that was just slightly darker. In the picture the girl, was curled up like a cat, taking a nap it seemed.

Peter nodded. "We'll take her. What do you say, guys?"

Drax and Gamora agreed and they began discussing heading to the auction planet, but Rocket just stared at his tiny friend. Groot reached out and touched his cheek fur with a small hand. "I am Groot...?"

"Yeah..." Groot knew him and knew the words 'testing' and experimenting' were a bit unnerving for him. "It's okay. It's for you, Groot. I'll be okay." The tiny tree didn't seem convinced.

* * *

The Guardians began to board the Milano, but Rhomann Dey put a hand on Peter's arm, making him hang back a little. "Nova Prime doesn't believe in sharing information that isn't concrete, but just so you know there is a rumor surrounding the Lera. Apparently, after some prodding was done it showed they can alter their appearance a bit into something more aggressive, just so you know. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but keep it in mind..."

Peter nodded. "Thanks." The man let go of his arm and Peter boarded the ship.

They set off with the coordinates Nova Prime had given them and arrived at the planet holding the auction just in time for the auction to have begun getting under way. The Guardians pulled on brown cloaks and tugged the hoods low over their faces to avoid being recognized and made their way to the market place. There were all kinds of stands with foods and items, people shouting out their products to sell. It certainly was a bustling and busy event. Gamora pointed at a sign. "This way to the live sales."

The group shuffled through the crowd, the aisle lined on both sides with cages of all sizes filled with all kinds of creatures. Quill was amazed at the variety of them, but he shook his head and focused on the task at hand, scanning the cages for their objective. "There." Drax raised his arm past Quill and pointed at a cage about five down. They could vaguely make out the shape of the Lera in it amidst the bustling crowd.

"Okay. Drax and Rocket? You guys hang back. Gamora and I will approach first and try to see if we can buy her."

"What?!" Rocket bared his teeth at the man. "We're doing this for Groot! Like hell I'm leaving it in your hands."

"Rocket. If Gamora and I approach by ourselves it will be less suspicious to the seller." He looked at the smaller creature sympathetically. Quill knew how much Rocket wanted to help, but a talking raccoon would stand out a bit.

Gamora nodded. "Besides it will help to have you two as back-up in case our leader screws this up."

"Hey!"

"Come on, Peter." The green woman slid her arm through his and they headed toward the seller together. "So, do you actually have a plan?" She whispered then glanced up at him and he was surprised to see a bit of nervousness in her features. It made sense, though. This was crucial for Groot after all.

"Kind of. Follow my lead."

Star-lord heard Gamora softly mutter. "Well, twelve percent has gotten us pretty far in the past..." Then they were at the stand.

The creature was sitting with her back against the back bars of the cage, eyes closed. She looked exhausted and a bit dirtier than her picture had shown. "What about this one, honey? Wouldn't she make a nice birthday present?

At the sound of Peter's voice, a blue alien with a long neck and a hunch to his back looked up. He had a long beard and picked up a cane before walking over to them. Peter watched him make his way from beside the cage, but his step seemed sure enough that Peter was pretty sure the cane was a front to make him seem like a kind old man. "Can I help you two with anything?" There was a crackle to his voice, but he looked kind enough.

"Yes, please. This lovely little creature seems perfect for my wife's birthday. She's been asking me for a pet for some time and I want something as special as her." Quill smiled down at Gamora, loving the roles he had put them in.

Gamora internally groaned. Of course Quill would decide they would be husband and wife, annoying human. "Yes, I think she's darling." At the sound of being mentioned, the Lera opened her eyes and looked at them. Her eyes were a stunning shade of royal blue, very beautiful. She tilted her head at them, ears twitching at their voices.

"Ahhh yes. This little beauty is a Lera, very rare nowadays. She's young and strong so whether you use her for a pet or help around the house, she'll be helpful. Come and let them get a look at you." The creature crawled over and as she did, Gamora and Peter noticed she wore a metal collar on her neck. The man followed their gaze and nodded. "Ahh yes. That would be a shock collar. My company uses them to discipline bad behavior. If you decide to purchase her, it comes with the purchase, but it's up to you whether it comes off or not." He took a remote out of a pocket in his vest and showed them how it worked.

A few cages down, Drax and Rocket were standing at the edge of a crowd admiring a creature that looked like a pile of slime with tentacles. Rocket's gaze stayed fixed on Gamora and Peter as they talked to the man that owned the Lera. His voice came out in an angry hiss. "Will they hurry the hell up?" As he spoke, the Lera's ears twitched and she turned to him, fixing her eyes on him even through the crowd and turning her back to the trio discussing her collar.

The man noticed and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "These nice people want to buy you. Don't be rude." He pushed a button on the remote and the female whimpered as the collar shocked her. She darted to the corner of the far corner of her cage and curled up quietly. Rocket felt his heart give a painful tug as he recognized the look of fear of a defenseless animal in a cage being 'disciplined.' He once wore that same look.

They didn't know it, but Peter, Gamora, and Rocket all shared the same jolt of pity at seeing the Lera get injured. Peter hurriedly recaptured the man's attention. "She's exactly what we're looking for. How much?"

The man grinned. "Fifty thousand units. She is quite rare after all..."

"Fifty thousand units?! No way. Ten thousand."

The man shook his head and stroked his beard. "I can go no lower than forty for a specimen like this."

Quill crossed his arms. "Twenty."

"Thirty is as low as I'll go. If we can't make a deal at thirty, I'm afraid I'll have to turn you away. Someone else will be willing to pay my price."

"Fine. Thirty it is." Quill had to keep reminding himself it was for Groot when he reached into his jacket's pocket and took the units from under his cloak, passing them to the man.

The blue alien's eyes eagerly looked at the money and he quickly counted it and nodded. "Good. Very good." He dropped them into his pocket and set about attaching a leash to the collar. The Lera didn't resist, as if she knew the procedure. He handed the free end of the leash to Peter and she hopped to the ground on all fours. She tilted her head at him curious. "Do enjoy your purchase! Pleasure doing business with you!"

"Come on." Quill spoke softly and gave a gentle tug on the leash. The creature stood on two legs and followed obediently.

After a few moments, Rocket and Drax followed Gamora and Peter through the crowd. Rocket glanced at the man by the cage and saw him eagerly counting the money he had pulled back out of his pocket. It made his fur stand on end. He could have just sold the Lera to some monsters or people that would abuse it and didn't even care. The creep was just worried about his money. Rocket wanted to shoot him in the freaking face, but Drax put a hand on his shoulder and nodded for them to hurry. The furry male nodded and headed off, remembering his friend on the ship.

* * *

By the time Drax and Rocket made it to the ship, they had already put the Lera in a cage in the storage are. She lay on her side, eye closed. The poor thing was probably asleep. Peter saw the look on Rocket's face and raised his hands up. "We'll have her check out Groot soon. I'm thinking we should have Xandar check her over first to make sure she's healthy, if thats okay with you."

"Yeah, that's fine." Rocket watched her still form. Her breathing was slow as if she was asleep, but her ears twitched at his voice, so he was pretty sure she was awake.

"Alright. Until we reach Xandar we'll keep her in here to play it safe." Rocket just absentmindedly nodded at Quill's voice. Drax and Peter exchanged a look before heading off, leaving Rocket alone with her. He stared at the small form. Her ears and tail twitched and her side and nostrils moved with her breath, but she seemed to have actually fallen asleep by now. His voice came out soft, but fierce. "I hate having to be the reason any animal is in a cage...especially since I know what it's like...but it's for Groot. The ends justifies the means and all that..."

Then Rocket turned and took a step, but as he did a very soft and gentle sounding voice reached his ears. "If you're willing to put me in a cage so easily...how are you any different from those who put you in a cage...?" Rocket spun around, sure the Lera had spoken the words, but she hadn't moved whatsoever and her body still moved with the slow rhythm of sleep. Had he imagined it? Was it his 'conscience' or some crap like that? He shook his head and headed off again, but the words he had imagined or heard still echoed in his head.

* * *

**So, like I said, a lot of this is from my crazy imagination so if it's silly or anything just be nice when you tell me, kay? Hopefully everyone liked it because I enjoyed writing it. I don't want to babble so hopefully I wasn't confusing and everyone enjoyed reading. Please review and tell me what you thought! Thank you!**


	2. The Raccoon and Cat

**Chapter 2 The Raccoon and Cat**

* * *

"Guys? Bad news." Everyone was currently in the main control room. Quill was sitting in his chair, while Gamora and Drax stood on either side of him. Groot was perched on a table off to the side. His head was tilted, eyes closed, as if he was napping. Rocket had just walked in and his ears twitched in annoyance. Now what? "Apparently all the smog in the air has jammed the warp drive. It will be a little while before it's up and running, so..."

"Are you serious, Quill?! Your ship is such a piece of crap!" Rocket shook his head in irritation, but he was a little surprised at himself. He was always impatient and grumpy, but his snapping had been caught by the others. They all looked at him quietly with varying degrees of surprise. "Sorry. I'm just a bit on edge..."

Gamora looked between the men and spoke up, brushing some hair behind her ear. "There is a planet nearby that wouldn't take long to get to. It has a hot spring and a spa. Perhaps we can go there for a bit of a refresher? I believe we all need to calm our frayed nerves. We've been very worried about Groot and it would do us some good. It even has a service for pets and animals so the Lera can be cleaned up a bit."

"Oooo I could go for a nice dip in a hot spring...you can always join me, Gamora..." Peter closed his eyes, put his hands behind his head, and leaned back in his chair, grinning like an idiot.

Drax turned to Rocket and spoke in his low, rumbling voice as they heard Peter yelp in pain. "What do you think, friend?"

The furry member of the team shrugged. "Sure. Whatever." He headed for the door. "I'll keep an eye on our pet till then."

* * *

In her cell, the Lera's ears twitched as she heard metal scraping on metal, waking her from her slumber. Her eyes opened slowly and her nostrils worked. The creature's eyes settled on a bowl of fruit and vegetables Rocket was pushing through the bars. She sat up and watched it intently until he had taken his paw away and backed up a few feet. Then she pounced and snatched the bowl away, scurrying to the far corner of her cell and devouring the fruit.

Rocket sat, stunned, for a moment before he broke out of his shock. "You don't have to wolf it down ya know." She slowed down a bit, but still regarded him as if he may take the food away at any moment. After realizing he wouldn't, she carefully laid the food out, as if making piles of what to eat. Rocket watched trying to figure out what she was doing before realizing it looked like she was trying to decide how to ration her food. It tore at his heart a little. "Hey..." She looked up at the word and he saw the fear still in her eyes. "No one is going to take the food from ya and when you want more we'll give you more...alright?" She just stared at him, tail swishing back and forth. He sighed. She didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Rocket rubbed a paw over his eyes in frustration, but then he felt something bump his foot. He looked down and saw one of the pieces of fruit. When he returned his gaze to the Lera, she was watching nervously. "Is this for me...?" She made a chirping noise that seemed to confirm it was. "Thanks..." Something about it made him feel really crappy inside, though. Here was this little creature (bigger than him, but still she was smaller than even Gamora, the next shortest member, by a good amount) in a cage and she was offering him some of the food she had just been worried he'd take away from her. He felt uneasy to take it, but the hopeful look in her eyes made him take a bite and he was rewarded with a small smile. The Lera then moved in a circle a few times before curling up and wrapping her tail around her food. He was a bit surprised to see she was sleeping again, but she didn't exactly have much to do and she did seem pretty tired.

Rocket pulled over a box and laid down to lean against it. He was fairly close to the cage, but the fearful look in her eyes earlier told him she wouldn't do anything. The little raccoon stretched out his legs and laced his fingers together on his stomach. It'd be a while before they reached the planet after all. He watched her sleep for a few minutes. No matter the creature, everything always looked more peaceful and happy when it was sleeping. She stirred slightly and her shirt got caught, exposing her back for a moment. There was something written on her skin. When he leaned forward he saw it looked like a barcode with something written above it, but before he could get a good look she had moved and it was hidden under her shirt again. He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting sleep pull him under, but the barcode danced under his eyelids bringing back wicked memories with it.

* * *

_"Strap it in. It's squirming too much." Hands clamped on Rocket's limbs and held them to the cold metal. He struggled desperately, trying to sink his teeth and claws into skin as he tried to escape. He just wanted to get away. He didn't want to be poked and prodded and opened up for their sick, twisted little 'experiments.' Rocket snapped his head to the side and sank his teeth into a hand. Blood shot across his tongue and the taste sickened him, but he kept his bite fierce._

_"Stupid animal!" A hard fist slammed into Rocket's jaw, leaving him dazed and dislodging his jaw from the hand. Before he could fight more, a wrist and ankle were strapped down. He let out a fearful noise as his eyes rolled, his breathing quick. A hand grabbed his small arm and injected something into him. He didn't know what it was, but it was taking the fight out of him and fast._

_"There. Now finish strapping it in and we can inspect the cybernetics."_

_"Shouldn't we use anesthesia?" That was the only question that had ever come anywhere close to kindness, but it was said with a simple analytical mind. "We don't want the cybernetics to get damaged." Of course. Why would they worry about if he was in pain or uncomfortable or in pure, uncontrollable terror? The cybernetics were what mattered to them._

_"Its whole body is paralyzed. It's fine." But it wasn't fine. IT WASN'T! Rocket knew that somewhere in his frantic mind as he saw the scalpel closing in on his stomach. "Let's begin..."_

* * *

Rocket's eyes flew open and he felt himself shaking, but he realized the majority of the shaking was a hand on his hip. The Lera was watching him with fearful eyes as she shook him awake. The smallest Guardian tried to calm his ragged breaths and racing heart. His fur was damp with sweat. He froze as the hand slid up his hip. She gently cupped his cheek, running her thumb over the tuft of fur and whiskers there. The gesture was simple, but it helped him calm down.

"...nightmare...?" The voice startled him. The Lera gave off the impression of being gentle and timid and her voice kind of fit. It was sweet, gentle, and silken, but to hear her speak had surprised him. Plus, she had asked if he had had a nightmare meaning she was intelligent.

Rocket shook his head, then shrugged. "No. Kind of. It was a memory...a freaking bad one..." He pressed a fist to his forehead. His mind was still trying to free itself of the awful flashback. It had been when he was still fairly young, so there was the added confusion and fear of being young and alone in a scary situation. The bastards that had decided to install cybernetics into him had had to inspect them often to make sure they were fusing to him and growing with him correctly. They didn't exactly put a high priority on his not being in pain during these check-ups either.

"I'm sorry..." Before Rocket even knew what was happening, she had pulled him to the cage. Her arms slid through the bars and she held him as well as she could with the cold metal in the way.

He sat frozen for a moment before turning and giving into what he would never freely admit to his fellow Guardians: a deep lonely sadness in his heart. Groot had helped that sadness lessen quite a bit and his fellow Guardians closed that painful hole in his heart further, but it was there nonetheless. Rocket pressed his face against her and felt his fur on his face growing wet, but this time it wasn't sweat from a fearful nightmare. It was the sad realization that the nightmare was still true, but... "It wasn't a nightmare...because when I wake up I'm still this monster..." He mentally cursed himself when he heard his voice crack on the word 'monster.' Peter had once told him he wasn't a monster, but it was when he was drunk and angry, ready to shoot Drax and possibly Gamora too. The man would have said anything to calm him down, so deep down the fear that he was truly a monster remained.

"Because you're different...?" He blinked at her words, rubbing a paw against his eyes. "Being different doesn't make you a monster...it just means you're you." He looked up at her and for the first time saw she was smiling a true smile, not a timid and unsure one like earlier. She had sharp looking fangs, but her whole face was softneed by the smile and even more kind looking. "You don't seem like a monster to me..."

Her gentle acceptance of him felt good, but only for a moment because his paw brushed the bar of the cage and reminded him of who was outside the cage and who was in it. "You're in this cage because of me, so that means I'm either a monster or a jackass."

Instead of answering his question, she raised a hand to pet his ears. Her eyes widened as she stared at them. "Your fur is really soft..." The Lera's hand began to stroke the soft fur on his head.

Rocket felt embarrassed at the attention. Admittedly, her touch felt nice. Drax had once pet his ears when he was upset and the gesture was both comforting and relaxing, whether it was then with a muscular man or a sweet girl now. So, he didn't really mind, but he had a reputation to maintain. "Heyyy...paws off..." She laughed, which sounded the opposite of his hard rowdy laugh. It was more like a giggle or something innocent. He tried to pull away again, but she clung and pet him more. "Let go!" She just laughed as she held the squirming, furry male.

"He said let go." They both froze and looked up to see the other Guardians looking not terribly happy in their direction. Peter was holding the still sleeping Groot and set his pot down carefully nearby. That guy could sleep through anything. Gamora narrowed her eyes. "I don't like repeating myself. Let. Him. Go." The women stared at each other fiercely, but the Lera just tightened her grip on Rocket. It didn't hurt him, but it showed her resolve at not letting him go. "Fine." Gamora reached into her pocket at the same time Rocket realized the metal pressed to the back of his head wasn't the cage. It was the metal shock collar. No one had taken it off of her...

"Gamora! Stop, you..." Rocket didn't get to finish as Gamora pushed the button. She hit one of the lower settings, but he still felt the Lera shudder against him and let go. He spun to see her curled up, grasping the collar, clawing at it. She made a short, sharp noise and darted to the far corner of her cage. Rocket turned to his teammates. "What the hell, Gamora?! She wasn't hurting me! We were just..."

"Just what?" The assassin barked out the question with annoyance. Rocket's eyes nervously flickered to the remote in her hands. They didn't know she was an intelligent being like them. He couldn't let her shock her again, but he was also hesitant to admit what he suspected had been happening...he had been having stupid goofing around fun for once. They'd never let him live it down.

"We were talking!" His frantic mind tried to think and Peter saw the tension in his small body. His tail and ears were stiff and his whole body was rigid. The man reached over and plucked the remote from Gamora.

"Talking about what?" Peter held the remote carefully so Rocket knew he wouldn't hit a button.

"She's smart. She started talking to me and she hugged me randomly. I don't know. The point is she's not some animal because she can communicate and think." He turned and looked to where she sat curled up in the corner, ears and tail flicking nervously as she watched them. "Come on..." She just stared with wide frightened eyes.

"I believe she is too scared." Drax moved over to the cage and balanced on one knee. "We will not hurt you, young one. We were afraid you were hurting our friend, so Gamora used your collar, wrong as it may be. Come here and I will remove it." Her eyes darted to the different faces in the room and then she slowly slinked forward. Drax patted her head like a child. "I will not hurt you. You seem to be a bit older than my daughter when she died, but you have a gentle smile like she did." He gave a sad smile and her face changed to match his, but with a frown instead of a smile.

"I'm sorry..." The other Guardians froze as they heard her voice for the first time.

Drax's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Thank you..." He reached forward and the Lera tensed, but she didn't pull away. After a moment, the metal collar fell to the ground. Drax collected it and backed up. There was a slightly discolored ring on her skin where the collar had been and she rubbed the exposed skin.

She looked up at Drax. "Thank you..." The words expressed such relief and gratitude, everyone in the room relaxed a bit now that the tension was gone.

"Rocket." The smallest member turned at Quill's voice. "We're going by what you say here. Should we let her out of the cage?"

Rocket looked back to the Lera. She was watching him with an understanding look as if she accepted whatever he chose. "I feel pretty crappy keeping her in a cage, but I know firsthand that creatures experimented on can be unstable and not show it. I don't want to put everyone at risk." He felt the inner turmoil bubbling inside him and couldn't meet his gaze.

"What about a trial run?" Everyone turned to Gamora. "At the hot springs, we can let her out and if she behaves, we can keep her freely aboard the Milano. If she causes trouble or tries to escape, then back in the cage."

Drax raised an eyebrow in confusion. "If she tries to escape, won't it be hard to find her in the crowded hot spring?"

A laugh was suddenly echoing in the open area and everyone looked to Peter, sure he had gone mad. "Did you forget the Guardians are all ex-felons? We have a bounty hunter, assassin, destroyer, and the legendary Star-Lord. It'd be a piece of cake to catch her."

"Why does a dumbass like you get the 'legendary Star-Lord'?" Rocket rolled his eyes.

Peter scowled at him then crouched in front of the cage. "Well, we can't keep calling you Lera, so what's your name?"

She sat cross-legged in front of him, grasping her ankles. It certainly seemed she was growing more at ease. "I don't have one, unless 24Q13 counts." Her statement was matter-of-fact as if she didn't realize how sad this was.

Quill swallowed sadly. "Then let's name you. Any ideas, guys?" The team thought on it and began to chime in.

"Star?" Gamora shrugged. The Lera wrinkled her nose.

Drax made a face as if pondering the question. "Darla?" She shook her head.

Rocket crossed his arms and looked at her. "Hmmm...she's pretty quiet. What about Whisper?" She made a face like she was considering it, then shook her head, hair flying back and forth.

Peter groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. The Lera watched curiously. "You guys ever name anything before? She looks like a cat or something. What about Cat? It's simple and sweet like you." He smiled at her with a smile that had dazzled many girls before the Guardians were formed.

She tilted her head, the nodded. "I like it! I have a name..." There was awe in her voice as if she thought there'd never come a day when she had a name.

Quill smiled at her reaction. "Now we're going to let you out, but you need to stay in the storage area, alright? And if you come to the hot springs you can't run off, okay?"

Cat nodded. "I'll behave. I just want to be able to move around..." There was a desperate ache in her voice, like a blind person asking to see.

Drax walked over and unlocked the cage, opening the door. Cat eased by the giant and stepped outside of the cage. She stretched and her face spread into a huge grin. "Wow..."

There was a tap on Peter's shoulder and he looked at the green-skinned assassin. "We're probably close to the planet with the hot springs by now." He nodded and they all began to file out. Rocket picked up Groot and glanced back at Cat. She was stretching and clearly enjoying the larger space. The storage area was spacious, but not terribly big. If it was compared to the cage, however, it was huge. He let the door close to allow the girl her time to run around. At least she'd be allowed to go to the hot springs. Rocket hoped more than anything he wouldn't be the reason someone ended up in a cage again...never again.

* * *

**Well, there's chapter 2! Hope everyone liked it! Please review!**


End file.
